Scarlett Johansson was born in New York City to mother, Melanie Sloan and father, Karsten Johansson. Scarlett showed a passion for acting at a young age and starred in many plays. She has a sister named Vanessa Johansson, a brother named Adrian, and a twin brother named Hunter Johansson born three minutes after her.
Johansson had her first significant screen breakthrough with her role as one of two orphaned teenaged sisters in Manny & Lo (1996), a coming-of-age drama directed by Lisa_Krueger. Johansson, who shared the screen with Aleksa_Palladino and Mary_Kay_Place, earned an Independent Spirit Award Best Actress nomination for her work in the film, and she soon found herself being tapped by Robert_Redford to star as Kristin_Scott_Thomas' daughter in The_Horse_Whisperer (1998). Although the film met with a very mixed reception, Johansson was widely praised for her portrayal of a girl who loses her leg and her best friend in a horrific accident.
Johansson took on a variety of projects after these early successes. She worked with director Brian De Palma on the 2006 crime thriller The Black Dahlia, and tried her hand at comedy with 2007's The Nanny Diaries. A frequent collaborator with director Woody Allen, Johansson has appeared in several of his films, including 2008's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.